Andrej Meszaros
Andrej Meszaros was born in Považská Bystrica, Slovakia, and was the Senators first draft pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft and 23rd pick overall. Before joining the Senators, he played for the Vancouver Giants in the WHL and Dukla Trencín in the Slovak Extraliga. Meszaros also played with the Slovak national ice hockey team in the 2004 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships and in the 2006 Winter Olympics. He was the second youngest player at the Men’s tournament in the Turin Olympics and is often lauded for his early leadership skills in international play with a very diverse Slovak squad. Meszaros is often considered to have been the second best rookie defensemen in his first season. He was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team. Meszaros has been disappointing to some fans in his follow-up season in 2006-2007, however, but will likely continue to build during his career. More difficult match-ups and a 4 minutes per game increase in average playing time compared to his rookie year saw his plus/minus rating drop from the among the league leaders, to the among the league's worst. Many are suggesting that Meszaros was perhaps given too much responsibility too soon and may need to have his ice time dropped until he is ready. Meszaros did have a strong post-season, however, and was one of Ottawa's sturdiest defenders. He plays with confidence and is a great puck moving defender. Meszaros is also strong positionally and will learn from his teammates in due time. He'll have a great career at the NHL level and will improve year after year.
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